1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the injection of supplemental fluids into an IV line and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for selectively injecting supplemental fluids into a closed intravenous channel in tubing which extends from a source of saline solution to a patient during an operation.
2. Description of the Background Art
For many years it had been a common practice to establish an intravenous (IV) line or channel from a supply of solution to a patient who is being operated upon. The line is generally established by tubing coupled at its upper end to a bottle of solution such as normal saline solution and at its lower end to the vein of a patient through a needle. Such an arrangement establishes a continuous, sterile, closed channel or line which allows for the quick introduction of supplemental fluids which might be needed during the operation. Supplemental fluids may be added to the solution in the tubing and thus provided to the patient through a manifold and valve arrangement located intermediate the ends of the tubing.
The large number of known devices and the extensive patent literature are evidence of the dissatisfaction which many medical people have with known intravenous systems and attest to their efforts to devise an optimum system. For example, supplemental fluids for IV lines are normally maintained in syringes couplable to the tubing and solution through selectively rotatable stopcocks. A conventional stopcock would allow for the passage of the channel fluid from its source of supply, its syringe, to the patient. Rotating the stopcock would shut off the supply of channel fluid and allow for the injection of the supplemental fluid through the tubing to the patient independent of the channel fluid. After injection of an appropriate quantity of supplemental fluid, the stopcock would be repositioned to preclude passage of additional supplemental fluid and to allow the continued flow of the solution. Under certain circumstances, if the stopcock of the prior art were not promptly returned to its position to preclude the flow of supplemental fluid, there could be a reverse flow to allow entry of solution into the syringe to contaminate the supplementary fluid.
Some forms of stopcocks are configured to allow for the passage of solution but include two ports, one associated with each side of the tubing. In the first position, the solution would flow directly to the patient with the injection of supplemental fluid being precluded. In second and third positions, the flow of solution would be stopped to allow introduction of either one supplemental fluid through a first supplemental port or the introduction of a second supplemental fluid from a second supplemental port. As in the first technique discussed above, the flow of fluids to the patient is from either the source of solution, the source of the first supplemental fluid, or the source of the second supplemental fluid, but never from any two sources simultaneously. Further, unnecessary attention must be paid to the position of the stopcock mechanisms to insure that the intended valve port to the intended syring is being opened rather than the other.
In addition, other types of valves for adding supplemental fluid to a line can be found in the catheter art. Consider, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,192,949 to DeSee and 3,385,301 to Harautuneian. Additionally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,831,629 to Mackal et al.; 4,209,485 to Greenspan; 4,429,856 to Jackson and 4,449,693 to Gereg disclose valves generally of the poppet type for uses in other than providing supplemental fluids to IV lines, as for example, to catheters. The opening of the valve would be effected by contact from a hypodermic needle in the prior art or pressure from the fluid therefrom. The use of such valves, however, is not suggested in the prior art for other than their intended purposes and certainly not for use as a replacement for the stopcocks commonly used in association with IV lines.
An optimum system would be something new which combines the benefits of the prior practices without their shortcomings, i.e., something which provided for a large number of supplemental fluid ports for an IV line, the number being determined by an anesthesiologist for a particular operation and having the ability to allow for the injection of supplemental fluids into the flow of solution without closing off the primary flow of solution and without the possibility backflow of solution or other fluids into a syringe injecting the supplemental fluid.
As illustrated by the great number of prior patents as well as commercial devices, efforts are continuously being made in an attempt to inject supplemental fluids into IV channels more efficiently, conveniently, reliably and economically. None of these previous efforts, however, provides the benefits attendant with the present invention. Additionally, prior methods and apparatus do not suggest the present inventive combination of method steps and component elements arranged and configured as disclosed and claimed herein. The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objectives and advantages over the prior art devices through a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, with the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a negligible cost to manufacture, and by employing only readily available materials.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for selectively injecting, through check valves, supplemental fluids into a closed intravenous line in tubing which extends from a source of saline solution to a patient during an operation.
It is a further object of the invention to preclude the backflow of fluids from an intravenous line into a syringe for injecting supplemental fluids into the intravenous line.
It is yet a further object of the invention to conveniently position any number of syringes with supplemental fluids into operative position with respect to an IV line.
Lastly, it is an object of the invention to inject any number of supplemental fluids, sequentially or concurrently, into the flow of solution in tubing to a patient being operated upon.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.